Belarusian market leader A1 together with ZTE has launched a standalone (SA) test 5G network across the country.
The network is the first of its kind in Belarus, and is delivered via 3.5GHz spectrum and features support for applications such as Gigabit without Fibre Connectivity, Cloud XR, ultra-HD live broadcast, automatic driving and remote surgery.
The network has allowed A1 to complete Belarus’s first call in a new standard format using VoNR (Voice over New Radio) technology for 5G packet voice transmission.
A1’s Senior Director for Technology Christian Laqué noted that the operator began its road to 5G deployment in 2016. At that time, A1 again partnered with ZTE to launch “the world’s first fully virtual mobile core network”, with Laqué adding “we were the first in Belarus to implement such innovative solutions as NB-IoT, eSIM, VoLTE, VoWiFi, thereby laying a solid foundation for the future development of 5G”.
“5G Stand-alone architecture allows improving network bandwidth while adapting to various innovative services”, said Wei Wei, General Manager of ZTE LLC (Belarus). “Moreover, ZTE and A1 will soon launch a joint 5G laboratory in the industrial park Great Stone, where we plan to test network equipment and applications for vertical industries.”
